Psalm 79

Message Transcription

We're in the midst of a series called Summer Playlist, where we've been journeying through the Psalms together, thinking about these songs, these songs of the early church and what they meant, how they teach and communicate, the truths of who God is and who we are in all their beauty and all their terror, the cries of the heart. We get a chance to see those. Brandon kicked us off by introducing us to the Psalms. In fact, he helped us create this bookmark. If you haven't grabbed one, I invite you to to do so. They're on all the tables as you exit the auditorium today. It's just a reading plan, a way for you in about 30 days to read through all the Psalms, just to listen again to the words of God's people as they cry out to Him on behalf of themselves, on behalf of the people. Sometimes they are an anguishing cry and sometimes they're their shouts of joy. But we know as people of faith, the journey of faith is not a straight line. It's often up and down, side to side. And so the Psalms give us a chance to experience that reality. And so we've been thinking together about what are some of those songs that I want us to be putting on our summer playlist as we imagine and envision our lives happening unfolding before us. Today, I want to talk to us about some taboo topic, a taboo topic. You know, what a taboo topic.

What are some of the taboo topics in our culture these days as you think about that? What are some of those topics that you know at work you are not supposed to bring this up right? When you're sitting around that Thanksgiving dinner table and someone opens their mouth and out comes one of these topics. You know, everybody at the table starts to get nervous when mama starts talking, right? Everybody's got a mama. Maybe you are mama and your family, right? And you're the one that talks about politics or you talk about religion or you talk about sex or you talk about death or any number of topics that we know make us all a little bit nervous. Have you ever noticed how those taboos vary from from family to family? When Kaylee and I got married, one of the taboo topics in my family growing up was money. You don't ask people how much they make, right? That came right after the lesson of you. Don't ever ask a woman her age. You don't ask someone. How much do you make? Right? To this day, I am almost 5048. I still have no idea how much money my father makes. Right? My mom made sure you don't ask those kinds of questions. We didn't talk about that kind of stuff. If I ever brought it up. How much do you make, Dad? Enough that. Mom, How much does Dad make? He makes enough, right? And Kaylee's family was very different.

They talked openly about how much they made. When she wanted something, they'd sit down and say, Here's the budget and here's kind of what it is. So she was very familiar with how much her family made. So you can imagine we get married in 1998 and we're enjoying this wonderful new life together. We get a job offer in 2000 and Kaylee is on the phone talking to her mother. And the topic comes around to guess what, how much Carl's going to be making. And I'm over there kind of giving her the look. You know, the look like when you're trying to communicate to your spouse, you shouldn't be. This is a taboo. Don't talk about this. And she kind of smiles at me like, what is wrong with you? You know? Yeah, mom. So and then she tells her and I'm over there doing the throat slash like, don't talk about this. You don't talk about this with other people. And she's going, What is the matter with you and my family? That's a topic you don't talk about. There are other topics in your family I know. What are the taboo topics in your family that you don't bring up? And when the person does, it makes everybody at the table a little nervous. Well, you know, they they change from from place to place looking this week, researching where does this idea came from? It actually came from somewhere.

There was an explorer named Captain James Cook who went on a visit. He's a British explorer, arrived in Tonga and noticed that there were things that they wouldn't talk about, behaviors they wouldn't allow to happen in their culture. And they they called them taboos. Like that's the first place we find that word was in the Polynesian culture. And so he wrote about it in his diary in 1777. Well, since then, that that kind of idea has has taken off. Everybody notices. Wow. There are different taboos in different cultures. Those of you who've traveled internationally, you've encountered this. I'm sure Kayla and I, my brother in law, played professional baseball in Japan, and we were blessed to get to take a couple of trips over there. And it was really interesting noticing some of the different taboos in the Japanese culture that we encountered coming in as Americans, right? Walking down the street. You don't stare people eye to eye. You don't look at them. You look down. It's it's impolite to stare at someone. Okay. I kind of get that one. Well, the other thing was, you know what you do every time you go into a house? You take off your shoes? What is the matter with you? You born in a barn? Take your shoes off before you go. Right. That's part of the taboos in their culture was something about the power of removing your shoes, being humble, not bringing the dirt of outside, inside.

I mean, lots of interesting things. We saw that the way they treat their elderly people is very different. There are some certain taboos. You don't talk certain ways to an elderly person when you're standing in line at McDonald's like I was, and there's 12 people in front of you and an old Japanese man walks in the door. Does he come stand behind Karl? No, he walks to the front of the line and all of a sudden I'm engaging my New York culture like, Hey, pal, we're all in line here. What's the deal? Nobody says anything to him. He walks to the front of the line. He orders, you know what people did in line. Why? Because you don't mess with old people in Japan. They're to be honored and revered. Some of you are going. I'm thinking about moving to Japan. That Japan's not the only place. There's several different cultures and taboos. You've heard from other places. Time to time. As I was putting this list together, I thought, you know, we're dealing a lot with and trying to reach out to international students. I wonder what it's like for them to come to America. What are some of the taboos that they encounter here? So I went on Texas Tech's international Affairs website, and they have a list that they give to students. I don't know if you can read this or not, but one of them is cover your mouth when you yawn, sneeze or cough.

Americans are careful not to spread germs. Come on, buddy. Americans are offended by strong odors and normally bathe daily, sometimes twice daily in hot weather and use underarm deodorant. Strong smelling perfumes and colognes are applied sparingly because they may not be pleasant to others. Do not belch loudly in public. Do not spit. I'm not sure they've been outside lately. Do not pick your teeth or nose in public. Right. The old adage You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose. Is it good to look? It is good to look people in the eye. I do not whistle at women. This is sexual harassment. That's actually on there. Do not litter. This is considered very rude. High winds in Lubbock blow trash out of bins. And we do not want to add to that. As international students come to America, as they come to Texas Tech, west Texas, they're trying to navigate the culture. One of the things they learned is what's taboo? What should I do? What should I not do? This is really helpful, important information. If you're wondering what are some of the taboos in your life and your world, just take a kid along with you, right? Kids have a way of just exposing taboo subjects without even realizing it. Like, Hey, Dad, how come he's fat? Hey, Dad, how come he's black? Hey, Dad. How come she's in a wheelchair? Hey.

Right. And you're going. Stop. Don't talk about those things. Stop. That's rude, right? We have this idea about a taboo is defying a social norm. A convention that we know. You just don't talk about those things. Have you noticed? They're all over our world. They're even in our churches. What were some of the taboo topics at church where you grew up or the first time you went to church, maybe here at a Broadway? What are some of the taboos that you encounter? And I was told one a taboo. I literally was told by the elders in my interview, Richard can verify this. Rob could, too. You cannot wear a Longhorn in the pulpit. That's a taboo, right? Some of you are clapping going, Yes, that is still a taboo, right? It's maybe even more than a taboo. It's a law. But there are lots of other ones. Right. These violations that when they occur, everybody makes everybody a little nervous. Right. Talking about sex and church, talking about death in church, there are these topics that when when they come up, when the preacher starts talking about finances. Right. People get nervous. What are these topics that that we can't talk about? What's interesting is they shape and form how we operate and how we move and navigate our community, our churches as well. This morning, I want us to look at Psalm 79 because I think it violates some of our taboos because it forces us into conversations that we don't typically have or or maybe don't have them in this kind of way.

And I'll invite you just to listen in to this Psalm and, and ask how might this song, if we put it on our playlist, empower us? How might it shape and impact our life, our journey of faith? Now. Music has a way of doing that, doesn't it? Music has a way of confronting issues and things in life around us. I was looking at a website this week of the most controversial song The year you were born. So I look back at my birth year and it was The Pill by Loretta Lynn. Loretta Lynn produced a controversial song about birth control forcing the nation to engage in. Should we be talking about this? And I couldn't help but think of the Seinfeld episode when Elaine dates this guy and she doesn't know what race he is. And so throughout the episode, they're asking about, well, is he black? Is he this? And George says, I thought he was Irish. Well, he's not Irish. And at one point, George nervously asks, Should we be talking about this? I don't think we should be talking about this. Right. And that line keeps coming up through the episode. How true is it for us that when a topic comes up that makes us nervous, that's taboo? We should we be talking about this? Psalm 79, I think gives us an opportunity to ask that question.

Should we be talking about this or. Is this something that should be brought up in polite conversation? You see, there were questions, at least where I grew up that you couldn't ask God or about God because they were sacrilegious. Right. There's this fear, right, with taboos. What they found in this Polynesian culture was you don't talk about taboos because if you do, something bad's going to happen. Right. So you don't go hunting or fishing at this time of year because because that will make you unsuccessful. You don't go and pick fruit and vegetables in this season because that could bring consequences on us. In other cultures, in other places, they had the same kind of idea. In church, you don't talk about those things. You don't ask God those kinds of questions because you'll make them mad and you'll get in trouble and we'll pay for it. So don't do it. And sometimes that was a fear born of I don't know the answer. I don't know how to answer that question. So I just don't want you to ask it. Sometimes it's I'm not sure, is God going to be okay if we ask that question? Well, Psalm 79 kind of baptizes us into that reality and we have to go. Should we be talking about this? Is this okay to be talking about? I think scriptures answer to us on that is, yes, we should. We should be talking about this.

In fact, Psalm 79 has become so important and such a part of the liturgy in the Jewish faith that it's a part of several different ceremonies yearly. The the the desecration and the destruction of the temple in 587. We'll get to that here in just a minute. But it's read during the commemorative service during there, if many of you have traveled I know you've traveled to Jerusalem and you've been to the western Wailing Wall. Right. This is one of the Psalms that you'll see rabbis praying and crying out at the Wailing Wall. God. Where are you? These words echo in our hearts because they're words that aren't just aren't just words of a rabbi somewhere. With actually echo the questions that many of us have about who is God and where is God when suffering takes place. See, one of the taboos I learned growing up in church was if you messed up and you're getting punishment, well, you can't talk to God about that. That's consequence for your behavior. Well, here's Psalm 79. We're going to we're going to hear a different version of that conversation take place. I want us to look at at this for just a moment. The first couple of verses are the psalmist complaint about what's happening, and he uses some pretty visual, engaging language here. Listen to the words once again, these same words that. Alone read for just a moment ago. Oh, God. The nations have invaded your inheritance.

They have defiled your Holy temple. They have reduced Jerusalem to rubble. They have left the dead bodies of your servants as food for the birds of the sky. The flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild. They have poured out blood like water all around Jerusalem. And there is no one to bury the dead. We are objects of contempt to our neighbors, of scorn and derision to those around us. How long, Lord, will you be angry? Forever. How long will your jealousy burn like fire? Should we be talking about this? I mean, should we talk to God like this? God, there's blood and dead people everywhere. And it's so overwhelming. Literally, there are not enough people to bury them. I mean, it's one thing to be massacred. It's another to just be on display for the rest of the world to see in God. That's what's happening here. We're laughing. Stock your inheritance, what you have promised to your people. Has been utterly destroyed. God. How long do we have to put up with this? God, How long are you going to be angry with us? How long will your jealousy burn? Was the last time you heard that prayer in church? The psalmist boldly calls out the reality of his situation and his circumstance of the people. God, there's blood everywhere. There are dead people everywhere. How long? These are hard questions. These are challenging questions that that sometimes, at least in my little Church of Christ heart makes me go.

Should we be talking about should we be talking like this? I don't know. This is making me nervous, right? When I'm around people who are in the midst of despair and hopelessness and they're crying out to God, how could you let this happen? It just there's a part of me that's like, I don't know. That's kind of a taboo. We don't talk like that. Why is that? Apparently the psalmist didn't get the memo. You're not supposed to write like that. He just cries out to God. I think the reason. Is that the destruction of the temple. Scholars debate over over when exactly? Because the psalmist doesn't say I'm writing this in response to this event. But most of them think the language echoes of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 587. And the temple had already withstood in Second Kings Chapter 24, you read about in 598. The Babylonians came in, but they didn't destroy the temple. But here they come in and raze everything. It's gone. In this event? Was it just a happenstance and not just like a tornado blew through? And now we're having to pick up the pieces. It's not just the social and political right. Everyone they knew was gone. They died in the massacre or they were carried off into captivity. So anyone that left remaining like this, psalmist is having to deal with not just the social and the political and the economic implications of they don't have a home any longer, but also with theological and spiritual implications.

God, we're chosen people. We're your chosen people. And the temple is not just a building. That's your home. That's your house. God, that's where you dwell. That's where we go to be with you. And it's been destroyed, right? What does that mean? God, have you left us? See, that's what the neighbors around were saying. Oh, God. He's left you. He has been defeated. It's over. And the psalmist is crying out. God, how? Why? Will be this way forever. So they thought their nation would endure forever. And yet here's what happens. So the psalmist continues. He moves from his complaint now to God. We want you to do something about this. And again, listen to the words that he says. God pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you on the kingdoms that do not call on your name, for they have devoured Jacob and devastated his homeland. God. Pour out your wrath. Do not hold against us the sins of past generations. May your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need. God, we're desperate. I know we've made mistakes. I know we've had a history of making mistakes. But, God, we need you. Help us, God, our Savior, for the glory of your name. It's a strong and mighty tower. Your name? It's a shelter like no other. Your name? At name has been wiped out.

God deliver us. Forgive our sins. For your name's sake, why should the nations say where is their god? Now reading through that this week. The psalmist says the nations are asking, Where is your God? I can't help but think they're asking the same thing. God. Where are you? Do you remember a time in your life where you have asked, God, where are you? Before our eyes make known among the nations that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants. May the groans of the prisoners come before you? With your strong arm. Preserve those condemned to die. Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord. At the psalmist is getting real. God, avenge us. Pour out God. They have poured out the blood of your servants all over our city. Would you pour out wrath on them? Here are the psalmist asked God to respond, but again in taboo ways. When's the last time you've heard that? Prayed at church. And if somebody got up and said, God avenge us. We'd kind of be like, Hey, calm down, buddy. Because we know Jesus said, forgive our enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. And so if someone brings up this kind of language, it makes us nervous. Should we be talking about this? God, would you do this? Not just for our sake, but for the sake of your name. The psalmist recognizes their their sinful and God don't keep holding against us the sins of our past.

And I know we haven't been the people that you've called us and that we committed ourselves to be. Oh, God. Would you forgive us? Would you? Would you be our salvation once again? I think in this psalm, one of the reasons I wanted it on our summer playlist is you hear the angst of the psalmist who vacillates between God. You can do what no one else can do and God, would you turn that power and fury against our enemies and and God, we are so sorry. And God, there's blood everywhere. Like you hear this confusion and wrestling often as songs help us put words to that cacophony of emotions that impact us when we're struggling in life to make sense of what's going on and why are things the way that they are. Marvin Tate, in his commentary, appreciated so much. He described the prayer this way. He said they are hoping for a vengeance, as bloodthirsty as the siege they themselves have had to live through. And their faith and their need are so great. That they trust God with their honest feelings. They trust God with their true self. Now. This is what I want. And it may not be right to want it, but man, I want it. They're true to God, sin and all God. We have made mistakes. God, I have made mistakes. I know.

Please forgive me. They trust God with their desire for vengeance and all. It's messy and it's troubling and it's heartbreaking and it's angry and it's hopeful and it's complicated. And it's real. And perhaps the psalm was put in the Psalter like others like it, many others like it. To remind us that God invites us to cast our real problems, our real lives, our real emotions on him. Not because this language is right. But because this language is real. A C church. If we're going to pray like that, if we're going to learn to pray, those kinds of honest, vulnerable, angry, hope filled, confused prayers, we're going to have to deal with some taboo violations. Right. Because that's not how we often talk in church. When we show up here, we often come buttoned up. How are you? I'm fine. Inside. I'm wondering, does God love me? But I'm fine. Inside, I'm wondering how much longer can I put up with this person? But I'm fine. Inside. I'm wondering how come this terrible thing happened and I'm having to deal with the consequences of someone else's sin. But I'm fine, right? See, the psalmist throws all social convention norms, taboos out the window, instead cries out to God. Oh, God. Is he? Too often we've grown up thinking we can't be really honest in church. And we've robbed ourselves of the language of of learning how to deal with. The honest truth of our lives. See, the truth is, what Scripture tells us is that God loves us just as we are.

Not some future cleaned up version. Who has all the right language, who always knows how to handle their emotions and complicated situations, Not who always spends their money in the right places, in the right ways, at the right times. Not someone who is always in the right relationship, who doesn't spend the wrong time in the wrong place with the wrong people. Well, Scripture is a witness to is God loves you. The you you are today. Right now in this moment. See, Paul teaches us this, that Jesus modeled it to us right in Romans five. You may remember these words you see at just the right time. When we were still powerless. Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die. For a righteous person, though, for a good person, someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And Paul will go on to explain and justify our sin. It doesn't absolve us from consequences that we have to live out of because of our sin. Rather, it reminds us God is with us. That God loves us. That when you were at your very worst, when you were blaming God for everything and every problem you've ever had, or when you were the one perpetrating all kinds of chaos on other people. Christ died for you at your worst.

Right, So that in that moment you would know God loves you. And somehow knowing that. Might empower you to stop. And reconsider. See sometimes the taboos of our day in the culture and even in the church. Teach us that that suffering. Is a consequence because God is weak. He doesn't do anything on that. Or God? No, no longer in charge. He just kind of spun this dude up and then sent it off to see kind of how it unfolds. Or you're being punished. Right? The job less you did something wrong. If you just say you're sorry, then God will stop punishing you. Right? He's eternally angry at you. Right. These are some of the taboos, the the themes that run through. If we bring up this if you ask this question right, you're going to make God mad. Let's see that. Those taboos trip us and they blind us from seeing what Jesus saw, what he lived out and modeled for us, what the New Testament writers like Paul and others would tell us that it's actually God's power is made perfect in our weakness. See in our brokenness and our confusion. That's where God's power can meet us and begin to change and work. That God's love is ultimately experienced in compassion. Not anger. Not jealousy. But his love for us. They got enters into our experience of suffering. He doesn't stand by and say, Well, you got what you deserved. Instead, he enters in.

And he knows what it's like to be mistreated and abused and neglected and left alone and maligned and murdered. So the ultimate sign of of suffering, the cross because of Christ has now become the ultimate sign of grace. Of healing. Of power. And so the psalmist concludes, as we will this morning. We, your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever. From generation to generation, we will proclaim your praise. It's only after getting real and honest with God do we actually get to experience God at work in our lives. If we keep living by these taboos, then we keep his spirit at arm's length. It can't ever really come in and make the change that he wants. You see, the only way that this leads to praise is if we're open and honest before God. Can we talk about this? Should we be talking about this? I think the answer from Scripture is a resounding yes. God. We each know the pain and the hurt of loss in our lives, whether it's a job or a career or a relationship or a dream. God, we all know what that feels like. Yeah. Many of us have felt the weight of sin in our lives, whether it's our own or someone else's. And for too long we've tried to handle it on our own. Oh, God. I pray that the words of this song, the the psalmist who proclaims them. Might echo in our hearts this week that we can be real before you.

We can give our complaints to you, the things that are happening in our life that we know this is not right. This isn't the way it should be. Oh, God. Would you give us the courage to be honest, to pray honest prayers this week to sing an honest song with Psalm 79? To have the courage to ask you to do something, to intervene, to to impact, to make a change, to show up God, just to be present. Yeah. Whatever it is that we need. Would you give us the courage to ask? And Father. In doing so, may we sense your presence with us in a deep and a powerful and a meaningful way. So much so that it might lead us to proclaim, as this psalmist did. We're going to praise you. Because your name is a strong and a mighty tower. They got. Your name is a shelter like no other. And so. God. May we proclaim it. Father. We are so thankful that you are a God who is alive, who is ready to respond to work in us this day. So God, would you do that amazing living supernatural work in us? Yeah. Would you melt our hearts and the places that have grown cold? Would you tear down the walls that we've built and protection around us? That we might be more willing to be courageous. Yeah. Would you help us to have feet ready to follow wherever it is that you are leading us? Yeah.

Would you help us to have eyes to see the opportunities around us? Yeah, but you have help us to have ears, to hear your word of love for us. Yeah. Whatever it is, wherever we are on our spiritual journey. God, would you help us? Hear that you love us as we are who we are right now in this moment. I got you long for us to to go deeper into relationship with you. So, God, I know for some of us that's going to take getting real. God, would you give us a trusted friend, a trusted counselor, A trusted shepherd minister? Small group leader, Bible class teacher, whoever it may be. God. Coworker, friend. And we could just get honest with. That would help us encounter Your Grace. And your compassion. God, as we remember and think of your willingness that that at our very worst, you were willing to give yourself for us. God, imagine what what you do when we begin to live into that life, the power and the strength. God, would you help us to imagine and then to encounter your spirit's work in us? God, thank you that we can talk about this. Thank you. That we don't have to be limited by the the taboos of the day, but instead we can be bold and pray honest prayers before you. Oh, God. Give us courage. Give us faith. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.